


Motivation

by poedameronstories



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 07:30:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17638454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poedameronstories/pseuds/poedameronstories
Summary: General Organa has sent out a distress signal. Reader is stuck in the Outer Rim, but she is desperate to answer the call and willing to go alone.





	Motivation

“Commander, we’ve received a distress signal from an old rebel base on Crait.”

You glanced up from your datapad as your superior officer moved around you to the opposite side of the makeshift command center, where a junior controller was gesturing wildly.

There wasn’t much to most of the signals your outpost had received lately. The last confirmed transmission from home base came from Lieutenant Connix as the final transport left D’Qar. After that, intelligence was at a loss. It was like someone flipped a switch and the Resistance had gone quiet.

You were an X-wing pilot, still green behind the controls but talented and not ashamed to say so. Though you weren’t on any of the flashy squadrons, your commander had promised that someday you’d be good enough to lead your own.

She was gone now, though, lost in a dogfight just outside D’Qar.

Now you were at the outpost working as a tech instead of flying. Your ship was practically collecting dust. 

Anyway, grey. Grey was a nice color. It was neutral. You always hoped you’d be Grey Leader or something cool like that, if you ever managed to be promoted.  

Commander Tari stared the screen, holding the receiver to his ear as you and everyone else in the small room stared at his face.

After a moment, the panic in his eyes gave him away.

It was a real distress signal. Had to be. 

The others were in trouble.

Tari looked over at the only other X-wing pilot besides you that had been assigned to your group. “Pava, would you know General Organa’s personal code well enough to confirm this?”

Jessika Pava made her way over to them, listening just as intently as the signal looped again. Her eyes narrowed, then she gave a sharp nod. “It’s most definitely the general’s personal code.”

It didn’t take a genius to see that she was reeling. Those were her people, too. Unlike you, she had been on the flashy Blue Squadron during the run at Starkiller Base. That’s not just something you get through and forget, and the bonds she made that day would last forever.

It was hard not to envy her, though it sounded stupid in your head. Who envies someone who had to risk their life like that? You didn’t long for battle, you just longed to be useful.

Commander Tari cringed as the loop started for a third time. “What should we do?” He straightened his back as he stared at the rest of the faces in the room. To him, there were too few around to make a difference.

You knew better.

The room might have been dimly lit, but you could still gauge reactions. From the looks on the faces around you, General Organa wouldn’t be hearing from any of you anytime soon.

“We don’t have the resources,” one mechanic spoke up. “Not enough fuel, not enough munitions. We just…we’re not equipped to help right now.”

“I agree with the mech,” a transport pilot named Guari added. She wouldn’t look up, wouldn’t look anyone in the eye as she said it, though. “Without fuel, we’re just as trapped as them. We’d be picked off in no time. It’s safer here.”

Your blood was starting to boil where you sat, and the second Jessika made eye contact with you, she gave a slight shake of her head.

She wasn’t telling you to keep quiet. She was telling you to calm down. 

Jessika was a nice person like that.

Too bad you rarely listened.

“When will we be equipped then, in the middle of war, to finally help the cause?” 

All eyes turned to you, though most looked thoroughly unconcerned with your question.

“It’s not that simple,” Guari insisted, lacing her claw-like fingers together. “You heard him. If we went out now with what little we have, we’d be more of a hindrance. We have to live to fight another day.”

“Of course we do,” you agreed, standing up in front of the console where you’d been watching passing debris for hours. That’s all you ever saw these days.  “I understand that, as long as by ‘ _we_ ’ you mean the Resistance and not just yourselves, right?”

Guari’s black eyes blinked at you. “What if it’s a trap? Y/N, think rationally.”

By now, you were shaking. Think rationally? What’s rational about letting the spark of fight die out in the shadows on a salt planet in the middle of nowhere?

“Keep to your post, Captain,” Commander Tari warned, his face grim. “We all need to be on board with whatever actions we do or do not take. There are plenty other groups like ours in the Outer Rim.”

“So surely one of them will answer instead, right?” You took a few steps forward, ignoring the warning look in Jessika’s eyes. “What if every outpost feels the same as this one and no one goes?”

“I _said_ stand down!” Tari’s face was red now, but you didn’t care. What good did it do to have a Resistance post when the Resistance was snuffed out? You felt kind of bad about going against your superior, but you had to be heard.

“So you’re all resigning then, right?” you asked, glancing from face to face for emphasis. Your eyes met Tari’s again. “All due respect, Commander, but the general wouldn’t put out her own code if it wasn’t a desperate situation.”

“They’re all desperate situations!” he roared, his anger bubbling over. “You are to return to your post _immediately_ , and there will be no further discussion on the matter.”

Before you could come up with any retort, he fixed his uniform and stalked out of the room, leaving everyone to stare at you or roll their eyes or whatever else.

Jessika made her way over to you, regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Y/N. You know I don’t like it either.”

The receiver was silent now. No more distress signal, and certainly no replies.

Ah, hell. So much for that promotion you were thinking about earlier.

You shook your head once, then again, fists clenching at your sides. The thought of General Organa reaching such a low point as to request an SOS…you couldn’t live with it. “I’m going.”

Her eyes widened. “You’ll be formally reprimanded, maybe even dismissed.”

“Who cares? If someone doesn’t go, then there’s a chance the Resistance won’t even exist by morning. I’m going.”

Jessika nudged you. “This isn’t about the general at all, is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The Resistance is-“

“Poe is there,” she interrupted. “At least as far as we know, right? And he might be in trouble.”

Ah…Commander Poe Dameron. He was the most handsome man you’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. He was talented, funny, smart, charming, a little cocky, and fiercely loyal, too.

You’d loved him since the moment you first heard him shoot off that big mouth of his.

Luckily, you’d caught his eye, too. In an effort to get your attention, Poe had approached you about your X-wing. There was nothing remarkable about the ship, no upgrades to brag about like he had on his _Black One_. There was only one reason he’d be over by you. You could hardly believe the best pilot in the Resistance was hitting on you that day.

Your mouth opened and closed a few times as nostalgia hit you. “So?”

She rolled her eyes as if you were oblivious. “The two of you dated for a while, too, right?”

“Three times,” you clarified. “It was only three dates, and the third was interrupted. His comm went off halfway through and he had to leave for a classified…why am I telling you this? You already know.”

That had been a _terrible_ night. Those first two dates had gone so well, and it was really hard to find time for someone else in the middle of a war…especially when that someone was a Commander and the best pilot in the Resistance. 

He told you right from the start that the Resistance would always be top priority, but the way he’d said it left you feeling hopeful for some reason, like there was a part of him that was working hard now to have peace later.

You wondered then if you would fit into the picture somehow.

There was no way to be sure now, but you were _pretty_ sure that right before his comm went off on that ill-fated third date, he’d been about to kiss you. The two of you had been sitting close on the grass above the landing strip. The sun was setting and stars were starting to dot the sky above, but you only had eyes for each other. 

Poe had leaned over, his eyes glancing down to your lips…

Then the damn comm went off.

The General paged him, and with a quick apology and a peck on your cheek, he was gone. He never did get around to kissing you.

Not yet, at least.

So much had happened since then. You had heard about everything he’d been through, everything he’d accomplished. What if he was a totally different person now?

No, you didn’t dare to hope. What right did you have to expect anything?

The base on D’Qar was long gone, and so were your chances. There was so much at stake right now, no time to lose, no time to focus on anything else but the cause. You knew it, and Poe definitely knew it.

It was a nice dream for a few days, though, and something you still dreamed about from time to time. 

Jess cleared her throat, breaking you out of your reverie. “Poe really likes you.”

You scoffed, checking the holoclock behind her. If you were going to go, it had to be soon.

“How would you know? We haven’t seen him, Jess. We haven’t been in the same room in a long time. He probably forgot all about me, and rightfully so. You’ve heard the reports.”

“I don’t think so,” she shook her head. “Poe doesn’t give up on people he cares about. And frankly, it’s obvious you haven’t given up on him either.”

The idea was absurd. “A little crush isn’t going to send me across the galaxy, Pava.”

She had the indecency to smirk at you. “A _little crush_? Come on, Y/N. I’m your best friend, whether by default or not. You can tell me the truth.”

“No, I already told you it’s for Leia,” you insisted, turning from your post and your best friend. “We’re wasting time. Ten minutes and I’m gone, with or without you.”

It wasn’t that you felt the need to prove anything. You certainly didn’t want to be known as a deserter or a troublemaker, least of all a traitor. But when General Organa puts out a distress signal, you move. That’s all you really knew.

It didn’t hurt that… _other_ people you cared about were there, too.

Before you could turn away, Jessika grabbed your elbow with a sigh.

“Let me just get Guari to give us clearance.”

You arched a brow. “Why the hell would she do that? She just made her opinion pretty clear.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Because I think she has a crush on me, and she doesn’t need to know that we aren’t out on routine training exercises.”

You stared back at your friend, eternally grateful for her company. “I don’t know what I did to get stuck out on this mud ball, but I’m glad I’m here with you at least.”

“No time for this sentimental stuff, Y/N. Let’s get going.”

* * *

“We got lucky,” Jessika lamented, staring at the red soil below the white salty surface. “Everyone’s gone.”

You knew she meant lucky that the First Order was gone. 

Whatever had happened here before you arrived, well…it was so far from good you couldn’t think of a scary enough word for it. The pristine white landscape was marred with red, smeared like blood from a fresh wound. Smoke poured from every direction as pieces of TIE fighters and ski speeders lay in ruin.

The old blast door on the base now had a huge gap in the center, just big enough for the likes of the First Order to get in and decimate what was left of the Resistance.

The good news was there was no sign of anyone now. There were no bodies, no signs of fight inside the base.

“Do you think the majority got out alive?” you asked, eyeing the abandoned command center. The equipment was still up and running like they had left in a hurry. “The tech is outdated but it’s functioning. I’m stunned that they didn’t light this place up.”

“The Resistance won’t ever come back to Crait,” Jessika reasoned, glancing around. “Unfortunately, we got here too late to see where they were headed.”

“They probably think everyone ignored the distress signal.” Your fingers swept gently along the communication console. You could almost see Lieutenant Connix at the controls, listening intently, desperate for word from any allies. Your heart ached in your chest at the very idea that they felt abandoned by their allies.

“Most everyone _did_ ignore it,” Jess reminded you, turning with a sigh. “We should leave, just in case the First Order is monitoring this planet. It isn’t safe to stay here with marked X-wings.”

You gave a nod, though your eyes were still roaming the ground. No trace was left behind besides a few footprints. Where the hell had they gone?

“Look, Jess. They escaped that way,” you whispered, eyes following a trail leading to the back of the cavern. “Someone had to have helped them.”

“And for that we can be grateful, but for now…”

You relented, turning toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

Just then, a slight shimmer caught your eye. There on the ground in the last bit of Crait’s sunlight sat an inconspicuous chain with a steel washer on it.

You leaned down to grab it, inspecting it closely. It wasn’t something you had ever seen before, though you were sure it had to mean something to someone. It was too polished, too well-kept to be discarded like that. Someone lost it during the quick exit.

“Hey Jess?” you called out, causing her to stop in her tracks up ahead of you. You jogged a little to meet her, carefully holding the chain out. “Does this look familiar to you?”

The smile that curled her lips was one of the biggest you’d ever seen from her.

“That’s Poe’s. Figures you’d find it.”

Almost immediately, your face heated up. “Poe’s?” you echoed.

You didn’t remember him having this on D’Qar. What would he be doing with a ring on a chain? Was he engaged since the last time you saw him? Did he already promise someone that he’d come back to them (well, _besides_ BB-8)? Did he tell them he was theirs forever?

The thought made your stomach lurch, and you felt guilty for worrying about that when there were bigger things at hand to focus on.

Force, what a stupid time to be thinking about all that.

“It’s his mother’s wedding ring,” Jessika explained, her eyes watching you carefully. She didn’t seem to mind talking about it for a minute. “Poe must have started wearing it around his neck to keep her close. I knew he had it, but it wasn’t on a chain before.”

You glanced back down at the ring, not sure what to say. He never mentioned it to you.

“Shara was the one that taught him how to fly, you know. It’s a shame she died so young.”

“Yeah.” That was all you could manage as the emotional weight of what you’d found hit you. Your fingers closed around the metal with a silent promise to Poe that you’d protect the precious item with your life.

You turned away from Jessika, not wanting her to see what you were about to do. Putting the ring in your pocket was too risky, so you tied the broken chain around your neck as best you could and tucked it under your flight suit. The metal was cold against your skin.

You’d heard about Shara Bey, not only from rumors around base but from stories your family and friends used to tell. Even Poe had mentioned her on occasion, mostly when he talked about flying.

She was a hero, a leader, someone you looked up to before you even knew the Resistance existed. Force, if you could be half the pilot, half the person she was…you’d be proud of yourself for once in your life.

Not that you needed Jessika to know that…she already thought you were crazy for Poe, you didn’t want to give her any more reasons to call you out on it.

Without another word you walked out to your X-wing, with Jessika rushing to keep up with you this time. It wasn’t until your helmet was back on and engines ignited that she added the rest of what she wanted to tell you.

“So…the ring? He was keeping it to give to his future spouse, you know. It’s what his mom wanted.”

What could you say to that? That you were relieved he hadn’t given it to anyone just yet? That you were sad it would never be intended for you?

No, you cared too much about him to think like that. He deserved a great love, even if it wasn’t you.

Your focus was sharp, your motivation reinvigorated. You lifted your X-wing off the ground, adjusting the ship’s altitude for a smoother exit from this old abandoned base.

“I’ll make sure it gets back to him.”

* * *

Somewhere along the path between Crait and your current trajectory, a ping sounded in your ear over the comm.

“OI, what is that?” you asked the droid positioned behind you.

OI-107 was your trusty astromech, nestled snuggly in the droid socket as it decrypted the mysterious ping. A series of enthusiastic beeps piqued your interest.

“Are you sure? Check again, please.”

More beeps, as the droid tried to confirm the ping’s origin.

You pulled your comm unit closer. “Jess, are you reading this signal?”

“It has to be Resistance,” you heard over the line. Her voice crackled a little but her message was clear. “It’s a code from command, though I’m not sure whose code exactly. They probably spotted us on radar. What should we do?”

“Sweep for trackers,” you instructed. “And try to pinpoint a source, Jess, they wouldn’t be signaling if they didn’t know we were friendlies.”

“Copy that,” she replied.

You watched as she pulled her X-wing in line with yours, as if trying to align herself with the rest of the universe to make sure neither of you were hearing things.

A different sound filled your ears. This time, the more you heard it the more it sounded like a specialized signal, one that wasn’t meant to reveal their true location.

“I think it’s a meeting request,” you said finally, after listening for another minute. “I don’t think they’d…“

“…Reveal themselves so soon,” Jess finished your thought. “That would make more sense. Should we signal back? It’s too dangerous for us to be cruising around like this. If we aren’t careful, we’ll run out of fuel, too.”

“Not to mention we didn’t listen to the commanding officer at our post, so there’s no way we can go back to that post now.” You bit your lip, trying to reason with your conflicting emotions. “We could always play dumb if it’s not who we think. There are merchants out this way, and they don’t tend to pick sides when there’s money to be made.”

“Worth a shot.”

“OI, send a signal back requesting a meeting location, please.”

Your droid beeped happily, and within seconds you heard both the outgoing signal and an incoming reply.

“Boy, whoever it is must be eager,” Jess commented.

“Yeah,” you muttered, checking out the translation from OI on your screen. “Or desperate.”

* * *

“I’ve never even heard of this place,” you grumbled, pulling off your flight suit and tucking it into your X-wing’s cockpit.  Both of you had stashed your ships behind some thick brown foliage. It was a big risk, but you had no choice but to take it.

Lucky for you, the black pants and tan linen shirt you were wearing blended in pretty well with the rest of the life on this planet.

Bland and boring would be overlooked, meaning you would be safer, but you had your blaster on you just in case things went sour.

You glanced up at your droid. “Hey pal, if anything happens contact me, all right? I’ve got my comm.”

OI beeped an affirmative, and with a final nod, you turned to Jess.  “So who do you think we’re looking for?”

Jessika shrugged. “Hard to tell. They weren’t about to give up a description over the line. They said we’d know when we saw them.”

After walking away from your ships a little, the two of you came across a dirt path that led to what appeared to be a marketplace. Little pop-up shops lined both sides of the path, selling everything from consumables and clothing to ship parts and droids.

It’s not like you weren’t used to acting inconspicuous, since the dumbest thing someone could do is identify as Resistance out in the open, but it was incredibly different this time. 

For one, this whole place was over-stimulating. Though the planet itself wasn’t much too look at, there was a lot going on with big crowds everywhere. Second, you were anxious to find the contact, anxious to reach the remainder of the Resistance that you’d been trying so hard to get back to.

Unconsciously you reached up to make sure Poe’s necklace was still in place, feeling a little bit of tension leave you as your fingers touched the cool metal. It felt strangely reassuring, as if a piece of him was there with you. There was no way you were gonna flash it around here, though. Too many creatures would be after it to trade or steal.  

Jessika was having a much easier time. She was used to coming to places like this on supply runs, something you hadn’t had the chance to be a part of just yet. Maybe you never would.

“Do you see him? Just there?” she murmured, looking away toward a row of new boots and acting interested. “Up ahead, on your right?”

“Who?” Your eyes did a quick scan before you turned as well. You didn’t notice anyone out of the ordinary, much to your dismay.

The nearest thing to you was a barrel of koyo melons, ranging between freshly picked and half-ripe. That little ache in your chest came back…you knew Poe liked these, that he and his parents had farmed them. Now was _not_ the time to be reminiscing about your silly crush, though.

A small creature you’d never seen the likes of before meandered over to you. “Two-for-one deal for the pretty lady?”

You shook your head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have enough credits on me.”

The creature narrowed its eyes. “How much you got?”

With another shake of your head, you were about to apologize again when a hand reached past you, dropping credits in the creature’s palm.

“Two,” the hooded figure said, their voice so low you barely heard anything. “Half-ripe. Thank you.”

As soon as they had the koyo fruits in their grasp, they turned and offered you one.

Your polite refusal caught in your throat as the figure turned.

Poe Dameron was standing beside you, chomping down on a koyo melon like it was nothing!

He gave a slight shake of his head, silently telling you not to visibly react, then dropped the second fruit in your hand before turning away. You stared after him in shock until the shopkeeper shooed you away, disinterested in a credit-less human.

You glanced over your shoulder.

_Blast!_

Jessika was no longer wandering behind you. The nervous tension you always felt on missions made yet another appearance, with your heart racing and your palms growing sweaty.  

 _Stay calm_ , _stay calm!_

There was nothing to do now but keep walking as you bit into the koyo. Anything else would look out of place, and who knew the types in this marketplace? Some of these creatures looked like they would sell you for a single bolt.

Poe knew where you were, surely he wouldn’t have turned and walked away without keeping some sort of-

You worried thoughts were interrupted as a hand reached out and tugged you into a side alley. Your wild eyes met Jessika’s, and she held a finger to her lips, gesturing for you to follow her into a small stone building.

Poe was there.

His eyes were dark, his hair wild and curly as he stood in front of you, hands spread. “Hey, nice of you to join me.”

It took all your willpower not to move to him and throw your arms around him in relief. Force, if he only knew how worried you had been…

Then again, you didn’t want him to think you were weak. No, you wanted to be brave for Poe, for Leia, and all the others that needed your help.

So instead, you stood there and gave a noncommittal nod in his direction.

Jessika moved closer, taking the lead. “What’s the plan, Commander?”

“Man it’s good to hear that again,” he muttered, running a hand down his face. “The plan is that we don’t have a plan right now, Jess. We’re looking for a new base, trying to find anywhere to hunker down for a while and regroup. We took some heavy losses, probably three-fourths or more of our…well, I can’t get into it right now, there’s not much time. I just saw you on radar during my recon and I wanted to make sure you guys knew what was going on.”

You watched as his brows furrowed and he glanced between you both.

“Normally Snap would go on recon, but…hey, how are you out here anyhow? Weren’t you stationed in the Outer Rim?”

“We sort of…well, we heard Leia’s distress call,” Jess said, her tone careful. If you told Poe about your sort-of desertion it probably wouldn’t go over well.

“But we didn’t get any replies from that.” He looked over at you, shaking his head. “Connix said it was received in multiple points but no one answered.”

“Our commanding officer told us not to answer,” you confessed, unable to stop yourself. “But…”

“But you did anyway?” Poe nodded. “You’re gonna be in deep. I know all about going against superiors, and now is not the time-“

“Are you serious?” you asked, stepping forward and feeling months’ worth of inactive frustrations come to the surface. Your fists clenched; there was no holding back now. “Poe, we had to answer the call! We were just sitting around waiting to be discovered and blown up instead of being useful, and now we’re here trying to help!”

“There’s not much we can do until we find a safe base,” he replied, shaking his head. He looked down at the ground for a second. “That’s top priority.”

There was a brief pause, some silence as the thought sunk in. The Resistance was probably a handful of people now, plus the Outer Rim posts. So much had to be rebuilt, so many new recruits were needed.

“Though,” he continued softly, “it is good to see you two.”

You blinked, wondering if you’d heard right after his little reprimand. A quick glance at Jessika confirmed that she was just as surprised by his words.

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad, am I?” Poe glanced back up with the barest hint of a smile on his face, his eyes sparkling.

When neither of you reacted, Poe made the first move and pulled Jessika into a big hug. You stood there with your eyes averted, not wanting to interrupt a private moment between two old friends and squadron-mates.

But when he reached for you next, Force, your heart rate spiked again. His arms wound around you and he held on tight, for a little longer than he did with Jessika.

You figured you weren’t going to get a chance like this again, so you responded by wrapping your own arms around his neck and burying your face in his shoulder.

“Hey,” Poe murmured, reaching up to stroke the back of your head. “It’s okay. We’ll live to fight another day, I promise.”

He was mistaking your clinginess with fear.

You were far from afraid while in his arms.

After another beat, you pulled yourself away and a few steps back, not wanting to seem like you were having a total meltdown. Poe offered you a warm smile, and you only saw understanding in his eyes, and…

…and there was something else there, something you couldn’t put your finger on.

“Oh, wait.” You reached for the chain around your neck, delicately removing it and holding it out to him. “I found this on Crait, in the old control room. You must have dropped it.”

Poe’s hand immediately went to his neck in surprise. “I- I didn’t even notice, to be honest with you.” He stared at it, not making a move to reach for it.

You held it a little higher, a gesture for him to take the necklace back since you knew how much it meant to him, what he was saving it for.

“You know what?” he mused, rubbing his chin tiredly as his eyes flickered back up to yours. “You hang on to it for me.”

“I… _what_?”

The smile Poe Dameron gave you this time was tinged with unmistakable affection, feelings you didn’t know he still had toward you. It’d been so long since you last saw him…

“Hang on to it,” he repeated. “You’ve kept it safe, you know? I appreciate that.”

You glanced wide-eyed at Jessika, who offered you a sly grin before glancing away at the wall, the doorway, at anything that wasn’t you.

What did she know that you didn’t?

“Poe, this is your mother’s ring, I can’t possibly…I can’t…” You shook your head, eyes flitting back to his. “What if I lose it?”

“You won’t,” Poe replied confidently, placing a hand on your shoulder. “I trust you.”

This wasn’t right. None of this was right. You were running out of daylight on a strange market planet, and you were supposed to be getting instructions on helping the Resistance, and Poe was here, being _him_ , doing _this…_

“But what if you meet someone?” you blurted out. “It’s better to have it at the ready, wouldn’t you say?”

Poe gave a short chuckle, looking over at Jess. “I’m really out of practice, aren’t I, Pava?”

“ _So_ bad,” she confirmed, still blatantly grinning at you both. “Just kriffing say it, Dameron.”

If there was ever a time you felt like you were having an out-of-body experience that was it.

He looked back to you, his hand on your shoulder moving up to caress your cheek gently. “Y/N…I meant what I said. I think you should hang on to it.”

“Why?” The question came out in a soft, pitiful voice, but you had to ask…you had to know if you were reading the signs right.

That’s when Poe Dameron gave you that famous, charming smile, and his eyes crinkled just a bit at the corners. You could stare at his brown eyes all day and never get bored.

“I want you to keep it because I was going to give it to you anyway,” Poe informed you, his dark eyes searching yours. “Eventually, I mean. I know this isn’t the time or place, though, so hang on to it for me, okay? Keep it safe, sweetheart, until we find our moment.”

“Our… _moment_?” You stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. “You mean…?”

He chuckled again, then moved forward and pressed his warm lips to your cheek, letting them linger for a moment longer than someone offering a polite kiss would. When it was over, your cheek felt cold. 

Before he could get too far, you reached up and grasped him by his collar, pulling him back and planting your lips firmly on his. There was no promise of another moment, no promise that both of you would make it out of this war alive. Just like the hug earlier, you were seizing the moment while you still could.

Jessika cleared her throat and reminded you that you couldn’t linger on this planet. It was time to go.

Poe pulled away slowly, his breath warm as it fanned across your face. His thumb traced the curve of your cheek, and in his eyes there was a new look of longing.

“We’ll have our moment,” you promised, brushing an errant curl off his forehead with a small smile of your own. “I know it.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, his eyes bright. “And I thought I had motivation before…”


End file.
